A Perfect Blend of Youth and Experience: Ricky Ponting and Shreyas Iyer Set Sights on IPL 2025 Title

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IPL 2025: With the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) fast approaching, Punjab Kings held their season launch press conference on Tuesday, March 18.

Addressing the media were Head Coach Ricky Ponting, Captain Shreyas Iyer, and CEO Satish Menon, who shared insights into the team's plans and aspirations for IPL 2025.

Ponting, who previously worked with Iyer during their time at Delhi Capitals, expressed his delight at having him lead Punjab Kings this season. The former Australian captain showered praise on Iyer, highlighting his leadership qualities and IPL-winning experience.

"He's a great human being. He is an IPL-winning captain. We could not have asked for more. He has only joined the camp a couple of days ago, so he is starting to make his mark on the team as a captain and as a leader, and that will evolve over the next few days before we get into our first game. But as I said, I could not have been happier," Ponting stated.

Discussing the squad's composition, Ponting emphasized the balanced mix of young talent and seasoned players.

"We have had a really good mix of youth and experience. We have really high-quality Indian players and some really high-quality overseas players as well. I am elated with how the squad has come together. We had our first session here last night which went really good. The boys have trained really well," he added.

Captain Shreyas Iyer was equally enthusiastic about the reunion with Ponting and spoke about the coach's motivational leadership style.

"He supports everyone. When I worked with him for the first time in the past, he made me feel like I am a great player and I can easily excel in this format. The confidence he gives a player is of a different level," said Iyer.

Looking ahead, Iyer affirmed the team's ambitions for the upcoming season.

"The goal is to win the trophy, that's our mindset right now. It's a step-by-step process. It's not like you wake up in the morning and do it, but the way we're practicing right now and the way we're sharing our wavelength and camaraderie with each other, it's going really well," he remarked.

CEO Satish Menon further emphasized the team's fearless spirit and the commitment to nurturing local talent.

"The team is fearless. The youngsters in our squad are fearless. We have a great coach in Ponting and a great IPL-winning captain in Iyer. I don't think you can get bigger than that. We have also focused on building our brand of Punjab and hence we have a lot of players from the state in our squad," said Menon.

Punjab Kings will kick off their IPL 2025 campaign against Gujarat Titans on March 25 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Following their opener, the team will return to their home ground, the New PCA Stadium in New Chandigarh, for back-to-back matches against Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings.